Crane Training Simulators Prepare Operators

Cranes, and the people who operate them, are hard at work all over the world every day. If you’ve passed a large construction site, you’ve most likely seen a tower crane, commonly used for the movement of heavy materials and equipment. Just about every shipping container you’ve ever seen, and the freight that it holds, has been loaded and unloaded by a gantry crane. Take into account the fact that overhead cranes are used for just about every step of production in the automotive and steel industries, and it becomes clear how important cranes and the people who operate them are to the industrial world. Just like every other piece of heavy equipment, crane operator training is of paramount importance, and this training must be high-quality, cost effective, and have no impact on production – a perfect application for training simulators.

Crane Operator Training Simulator

Last month, the Operating Engineers College (OEC) in Holyrood, Newfoundland, launched their new Tower Crane Operating Program, featuring virtual crane simulators for students to train on. The OEC plans to use this simulation-based training facility in order to produce the large number of crane operators that will be required to construct the $14 billion ExxonMobil Hebron project in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Lorna Harnum, Administrator for the Operating Engineers College:

“The Operating Engineers College provides operators with the opportunity to upgrade and enhance their skills, and to produce an on-going supply of apprentices and certified journeypersons to the construction industry. Now, because of the strong partnership that exists between the Provincial Government, the college, Operating Engineers Local 904 and industry, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians will have the opportunity to avail of the only tower crane program offered in Atlantic Canada.”

The centerpiece of the Hebron project will be a stand-along gravity-based offshore oil platform that is being constructed on top of the Hebron oil field, estimated to contain at least 660 million barrels of recoverable resources. The platform is being developed to withstand severe ocean conditions, including sea ice and icebergs, for a period of at least 40 years, with the capability of producing up to 150,000 barrels of oil per day. Clearly the operators who will be responsible for developing the platform to meet these production estimates will need the best possible training, so it comes as no surprise that significant investments in training simulators are being made for the project.

Joan Burke, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills

“The development of the Tower Crane Operator Training Program is a true example of partnership in action and the direct result of the Provincial Government listening and being responsive to the needs of industry. Newfoundland and Labrador will see as many as 70,000 job openings by 2020 and as a government we are working with our partners – including business, labour and training institutions to take full advantage of the opportunities ahead.”

Crane training simulators allow you to provide uninterrupted hands-on training to your operators, with the ability for managers to track and analyze their digital training records. This training can be custom tailored to meet your specific requirements, including emergency operation conditions, which are often difficult or impossible to train for. Training simulators keep operators safe, training costs low, and pose no disruption to production. With the worldwide demand for energy-based resources always on the rise, it stands to reason that projects like the one on the Hebron oil field will become more common as well. With projects like this on the rise, the demand for highly-skilled crane and heavy equipment operators will rise in parallel, leading to an increased demand for simulators to train the operators that will be required.